Sheet metal structure



1964 R E. BOCKHORST 3,117,621

' SHEET METAL STRUCTURE Filed March 8, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet l d ,11 cu: D momma D DUI: DHDDCI uucc: I 1/ l 9 4 IFIIG 11 H II I! I5 FIG-3 IN V EN TORI ROY E. BOC KHORST Jan. 14, 1964 R. E. BOCKHORST 3,117,621

SHEET METAL STRUCTURE Filed March 8, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. ROY E. BOCKHORST ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,117,621 SHEET NIETAL STRUCTURE Roy E, Bockhorst, Dayton, Ghio, assignor to Glir Mat hieson Chemical Corporation, a corporation of Virginia Filed Mar. 8, 1962, Ser. No. 178,416 14 Claims. (Cl. 165-40) This invention relates to heat exchangers and more particularly to heat exchangers adapted for cooling and dispensing liquids.

This invention has among other objects the provision of a novel heat exchanger having independent fluid passages and incorporating between said passages means to prevent leakage of fiuid between one passage and the other.

It is another object of this invention to provide a novel liquid dispenser having a system of refrigerant and liquid passages in heat exchange relationship with each other.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel heat exchange structure having refrigerant and liquid passages and incorporating means between them to prevent leakage of refrigerant into the liquid passages.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a novel heat exchanger having refrigerant and liquid passages and incorporating an atmospheric barrier between the passages as a protective means against leakage of the refrigerant into the liquid passages.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a novel heat exchange structure having a plurality of fluid passages and incorporating a double walled thickness of metal together with an atmospheric barrier between the passages.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become more apparent from the following description and drawings! which:

FIGURE 1 is a partial plan view partly in cross-section illustrating an internally laminated sheet-like structure for obtaining one embodiment of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines ll-ll of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of one embodiment of this invention obtained from the sheet-like structure shown in FlGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines lVlV of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of another sheet-like structure for obtaining another embodiment of this invention; and

FlG'URE 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of this invention.

Referring to the drawings, FIGURE 1 illustrates a sheet-like member 1 to which this invention is particularly directed, and which may be formed by selectively joining two portions of adjacent surfaces of any suitable superposed inetal component sheets, as for example copper base alloy, aluminum base alloy, stainless steels and the like, so as to define between them a desired configuration or system of passages for conducting a heat exchange medium therein. lreferably, this plate-like member is formed according to the well-known method described in US. Letters Patent No. 2,690,092 issued on September 28, 1954, to Leland H. Grenell. According to the method of the aforesaid patent, stop-weld material is interposed between two metal component sheets in a pattern defining a desired system of passageways. Thereafter, the adjacent surfaces of the component sheets are welded together in the areas not separated by stop-weld material to form a blank partially laminated, internally, in a configuration corresponding to the pattern in which the stop-weld material was applied. This blank is then inflated by injecting into its laminations sufiicient fiuid pressure to permanently distend the metal opposite the laminations.

Patented ran. 1%, tea

The embodiment illustrated in FIGURE 1 comprises an internally laminated sheet-like structure 1, comprised of aluminum alloys, copper alloys, stainless steels and the like, ada ted in accordance with applicants invention to contain a plurality of embryonic passages 25, 3, and 4. As illustrated these embryonic passages were obtained by providing a plurality of corresponding patterns of stopweld material 5, 6, and 7 between superposed metal sheets followed by pressure welding in accordance with the method defined in the aforesaid patent to Grenell. Each of these embyronic passages forms, upon distention, corresponding fluid passageways completely independent and in spaced relationship to each other, and in this respect it will be noted that embryonic passageway 3 is disposed to form a complete separation between embyronic passageways 2 and 4.

As will be apparent, although a specific configuration of passageways has been illustrated in the drawings, other configurations may also be employed. For example, where increased volumetric capacity is desired for the passages, they may be formed with bulges such as the enlargements 3 provided in the embryonic passageway 2, and such as enlargements 9 and lil provided in embryonic passageway In addition, if desired, where the ultimate fluid passageway systems are contemplated to be utilized under increased pressures, they may be strengthened or reinforced by the provision of a plurality of reinforcing weld-islands 11. These weld islands are obtained by providing blank or void spots in the applied pattern of stop-weld materials so as to leave these areas, between the superposed sheets, unprotected or separated by the material.

Subsequent to the provision of the integral sheet 1, it may then be suitably expanded, as by injection or" appropriate fluid pressure, into a corresponding system of tubular passageways i2, 213, and 1d of the cross-sectional configuration desired. For example in obtaining the specific confi uration or tubular cross-section depicted in FIG- URE 4, the expansion may be accomplished by restraining the expansion of embryonic passages 3 and 1d between rigid flat platens similar to the method disclosed in US. Patent No. 2,662,273, while permitting free or unrestrained expansion of the embryonic passageway 22. Expansion in accord with this specific manner provides a structure having the system of tubular passageways l3 and 14 with a fiat top configuration a system of tubular passageways 12 of lenticular configuration. 11 wever, it is to be understood that the tubular passageways l3 and 14 may have the weld islands omitted and be freely expanded without external restraint into a novel configuration.

After obtaining the desired tubular configuration, on expansion of the embryonic passages, the distended structure may then be subsequently fabricated into the construction desired, for example the distended sheet structure 15 may be bent in zig-zag manner with adjacent return bends placed in close proximity to each other so that al ernate folds 39 will extend in a more or less diagonal direction relative to the folds if adjacent to these diagonal folds such as illustrated in FEGURE 3.

Thereafter, the fabricated structure 17 may be then conditioned for any appropriate use contemplated for this st ucture. For example the tubular passageways 12 may be conneced into a first fluid system and the tubular passages connected into a second fluid system so as to place these two systems in heat exchange relationship with one another.' However, as will be noted in FIGURE 3, the tubular passageway 13 remains unconnected to any fluid system and is maintained in communicating relationship with the atmosphere so as to provide an atmospheric barrier or separation between the two fluid systems contained in heat relationship with one another Within the barrier V cture 17 to form a plurality of slots cutting rough the tubular passageway 3.3 at the points where openings it? were provided as' indicated in FIGURE 3. l rcierably these openings or slots 18 are formed at the return bends of the corrugated integral structure 17, or they rnay be formed in conjunction with still additional numbers of these openings disposed at any desired spacing along tubular passageway 15, or still further these openor slots may be disposed in any desired manner along y ular passageway 13. However, it is pointed out l ere these openings or slots are provided at the rn bends of the corrugated integral structure 17, such slots prov s an additiona. advantage in that they form a convenient selfexing and self-draining means in the 7 event that condensation occurs on the inner wall of tubular passageway 13. J

Although the invention is adaptable for various applications requiring a positive barrier between two fluid systems disposed in heat exchange relationship with one another, this invention is peculiarly adapted for use as a liquid dispenser by placing the corrugated structure 7 into a suitable supporting structure such as that shown 1 l atent Jog-850,884 and adapting me tubular sytems for connection with a liquid supplying and a re irigerant supplying system. In such application, an inlet 2% may be seen ed to one end of the tubular passageways x Elect his passageway with an appropriate liquid mg means, Whereas the other end of the tubular passageway 12 is provided with an appropriate liquid dispenser 2d operated by a push button 21 of the type, commonly in use, or this latter end of the tubular passageway l2 be provided with any of the well-known manually operated bubbling dispensers. Heat exchange for the liq id in the tubular passagewa i4 is provided by connecting the tubular passageway 14 serially in a conventional refrigerating system which includes a sealed nwton'com jressor all? and a condenser 22. As indicated above, the tubular passageway 1'3 is maintained in commmicating relationship with the atmosphere alone or in conjunction with supplementing openings 13 so in effect to form a dummy passage providing a positive atmospheric against leakage between the liquid and the refrigerant passages. Accordingly, this positive barrier between the liquid and the refrigerant passages precludes any danger of contamination of the liquid system in the event of leakage of the refrigerant due to an inadvertent lit'a'ilure or" the weld in the pressure welded sections between the various passages.

Although a specific embodiment has been described above, it will be apparent that such an embodiment is amenable to various modifications, for example, although the various tubular passageways have been illustrated as being distended so as to bulge from both sides of the integral structure 15, this structure, in accordance with the invention, may be provided with tubular passages which are distended so as to bulge out from only one side of the i .egral sheet, as for example, by the method disclose in US. Patent No. 3,003,228. in addition, it is also to be noted, that although these specific embodiments have beendescribed above as being distended prior to bending it in zig-zag manner to obtain the corrugated FlGURE 5 depicts another embodiment of this inven-.

tion illustrating the amenability of this invention to other meat integral sheet 23 is provided with a liquid passag-c 2.2, a dummy passage l3 and a refrigerant passage 14 (littering from the preceding embodiment in that the v ious tubular passageways coextend with each other serpentine fashion across the integral structure 23 with the dummy passage 13' forming a positive barrier or separation between the passages 32 and 14'. As in the preceding embodiment, additional venting to the atmosphere may be provided in the dummy passage 13 by the provision of suitable openings or slots 18.

FIGURE 6 depicts a still further embodiment of this invention illustrating the amenability of this invention to the incorporation of larger numbers of fiuid systems. For exam le, the integral structure 28 depicted in this embodiment may be provided with a liquid passage 12", a dummy passage 13'', and a refrigerant passage 14", corresponding to the passages incorporated in the emtent depicted in FlGURES 1 through However, al structure 23 is provided, in addition, with a s n liquid passage 25 a efrigerant condenser *e 27 with a positive atmospheric barrier formed between liquid passage 25 and evaporator passage la by oi the dummy passage 2 communicating with the atmosghere. in similar manner, a positive atmospheric barrier is provided between the liquid passage 25 and the condenser passage 27 by means of the dummy passage 26 also communicating with the atmosphere. As is self evident the refrigerant condenser passage 27 can advantageously replace the refrigerant condenser section described in conjunction with the preceding embodiment by utilizing the heat of condensation, of the refrigerant, to heat the liquid contained in tubular passageway 25' which, when provided with a suitable liquid dispenser, forms a suitable source of hot liquid.

Accordingly, although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments and details, various modifications and changes will be apparcut to those skilled in the art and are contemplated to be embraced within the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A sheet metal heat exhanger formed from a pressure welded metal sheet having three tubular passageway s stems disposed in ernally therein in independent and adjacent spaced relationship to each other, one of said passageway systems being connected into a first fluid system, a second of said passageway systems being connected into a second fluid system, and a third of said passageway systems forming a dummy passage disposed between said one and said second passageway systems with said dummy passage vented to the atmosphere and forming a complete separation between and coextensive with said one and said second passageway systems.

2. The structure of ol 1 1 including a plurality of spaced openings into ird passageway system along the length thereof to provide for said dummy passage a plurality of vents communicating with the atmosphere.

3. A sheet metal liquid dispenser comprising a plurality of superposed component sheets pressure Welded to each other into a unitary sheet having between one pair of said CGEY'G-Ollfifil sheets at least three fluid passageway systeris disposed internally therein in independent and adjacent spaced relationship to each other, one of said passageway systems forming a refrigerant passage, a second of said passageway systems forming a liquid passage, and a third of said passageway systems forming a dummy passage vented to the atmosphere and disposed between said liquid and said refrigerant passages with said dummy passage forming a complete separation between and coextensivewith said liquid and said refrigerant passages.

4. The structure of claim 3 wherein said component sheets are a copper-based metal.

5. The structure of claim 3 including the refrigerant supplying means serially connected to opposite ends of said evaporating section, liquid supplying means provided at one end of said liquid passage, and a liquid disensing means provided at the other end of said liquid passage.

6. The structure of claim 5 wherein said component sheets are a copper-based metal.

7. The structure of claim 3 including a plurality of spaced openings into said dummy passage along the length thereof to provide for said dummy passage a plurality of vents communicating with the atmosphere.

8. The structure of claim 7 wherein saic component sheets are a copper-based metal.

9. The structure of claim 7 including refrigerant supplying means serially connected to opposite ends of said evaporating passage, liquid supplying means provided at one end of said liquid passage, and a liquid dispensing means provided at the other end of said liquid passage.

10. The structure of claim 9 wherein said component sheets are a copper-based metal.

11. The structure of claim 3 wherein said unitary sheet has provided therein at least two liquid passages disposed in alternate relationship with at least two refrigerant passages, with said liquid and said refrigerant passages disposed internally in said unitary sheet and in spaced relationship to each other, and a dummy passage vented to the atmosphere and disposed between 6 each pair of adjacent liquid and refrigerant passages and forming a complete separation between and coextensive with said adjacent liquid and refrigerant passages, one of said refrigerant passages forming an evaporating section for the refrigerant in said unitary sheet and a second of said refrigerant passages forming a condenser section for refrigerant in said unitaiy sheet with both said refrigerant passages being serially connected to a refrigerant supplying means, one end of each of said liquid supplying means being independently connected to a liquid supplying means with the other end of each of said liquid passages being independently provided with liquid dispensing means.

12. The structure of claim 11 wherein said component sheets are a copper-based metal.

13. The structure of claim 11 including a plurality of passages along the lengths thereof to provide for said dummy passages a plurality of vents communicating wi h the atmosphere.

14. The structure of claim 13 wherein said component sheets are a copper-based metal.

Johnson July 17, 1956 Jacobs Sept. 9, 1958 

1. A SHEET METAL HEAT EXCHANGER FORMED FROM A PRESSURE WELDED METAL SHEET HAVING THREE TUBULAR PASSAGEWAY SYSTEMS DISPOSED INTERNALLY THEREIN IN INDEPENDENT AND ADJACENT SPACED RELATIONSHIP TO EACH OTHER, ONE OF SAID PASSAGEWAY SYSTEMS BEING CONNECTED INTO A FIRST FLUID SYSTEM, A SECOND OF SAID PASSAGEWAY SYSTEMS BEING CONNECTED INTO A SECOND FLUID SYSTEM, AND A THIRD OF SAID PASSAGEWAY SYSTEMS FORMING A DUMMY PASSAGE DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID ONE AND SAID SECOND PASSAGEWAY SYSTEMS WITH SAID DUMMY PASSAGE VENTED TO THE ATMOSPHERE AND FORMING A COMPLETE SEPARATION BETWEEN AND COEXTENSIVE WITH SAID ONE AND SAID SECOND PASSAGEWAY SYSTEMS. 